Hello, guys. July was a great month on many fronts. We were able to add some more space and make the Daily Challenge classes breathe once again, we had a really awesome group of new members join and embrace it and we had a ton of amazing PRs that included gym records in the power clean, mile sprint, jerk and overhead squat!

Among all of this awesomeness, two people stood out from a very deserving crowd.

Desiree Wright!

Desiree was at the gym just about every single day in month of July, and saw a good mix of outdoor and indoor challenges. She always shows up with a smile on her face and is nothing but positivity, all the time. She pushes hard on her workouts, doesn’t let herself slack, PR’d on her jerk, routinely reps 30″ box jumps and even entered the Level I Barbell Club in July.

Desiree is four months pregnant.

Did we mention that?

(And yes, the 30″ box jumps made us so nervous we had to physically walk her over to the smaller boxes. Don’t worry, she’s approved for all that she is doing 🙂

Every time we see Des in a workout, it immediately makes us want to pick up a barbell or run sprints. If this little lady with a person growing in her stomach can crush these workouts, then what is our excuse, right?

Desiree and Tyler

Anyone who has talked with Desiree at the gym and seen her during a class knows that she deserves all of the success she has achieved for herself since joining.

Get to Know Desiree

What’s your bio?

I’m 31, born and raised in San Diego. Shocking, because I think are only 3 actual people FROM San Diego.

What do you do for work?

I am a self employed personal chef.

More importantly, what do you do for fun?

I spend a lot of time with our family and friends where most of our activities revolved around eating something delicious. My husband (Tyler Wright, also a member of the gym) and I love to get away and go camping whenever we get the chance.

What’s your favorite and least favorite exercise?

I REALLY like deadlifts and get excited every time I see deadlift day on tap! For some I reason I detest rope slams/waves.

What do you most enjoy about coming to P360?

I absolutely love P360’s community. I was drawn to the gym because I had friends rave about it. Every member of the gym is so friendly, helpful and encouraging. Beyond the community, Dave, Pritz and Ashley motivate me to be stronger and do better every single time I walk through the door.

What is your most proud achievement at P360?

Level I Barbell Club at 3 months pregnant!

What have you learned most since training here?

Show up and just trust the system. P360 knows what they are doing.

What’s an embarrassing fact most people don’t know?

OH MY GOD, here it is….I like to pretend I can do voice overs and I have this character named Thomas who is in 3rd grade and always wants to come out and play. I’ve probably left 100 voicemails to friends and family as Thomas. (I’m so embarrassed)

What’s a hidden talent most people don’t know about?

I’m a pretty good painter and after doing pretty well in a trapeze class I think that’s the next activity after the baby comes.

What’s your favorite cheat meal?

I’ve never met a carb covered in cheese that I didn’t like! Grilled cheese, mac and cheese, pizza, cheesecake…I could go on forever.

Which famous person would you most like to have a drink with, and what would you buy them?

I’ve always been fascinated with a chef named Heston Blumenthal. He’s a crazy molecular gastronomist and has these crazy meals he creates, but if the drink was my choice we’d sip some Don Julio 1942 or take room temperature shots of Russian Standard.

What do you wish you could improve upon in the gym?

I wish that I didn’t underestimate myself. I’ve always been scared to fail and therefore wouldn’t try. P360 is teaching me to be more confident in myself. Also, I want to get more comfortable at Olympic lifts.

What was going through your head in the middle of your first P360 workout?

“Don’t pass out. Don’t pass out. Don’t throw up. Don’t pass out.”

If you owned the gym for a day, what would you do?

Probably play Tricky and This is How We Do it on repeat all day long.

What’s your biggest goal for 2013?

Being pregnant, I want to keep showing up. I’m due January 16th and I want to keep walking in that gym and putting forth effort as long as possible to prepare!

What’s the hardest exercise to perform with a person in your stomach?

I feel like I am running in slow motion. Growing a baby is the weirdest, they just take over and let you know what they want to do!

Congratulations again, Desiree! Now onto the male July member of the month….

Andy Mauser!

Andy is a staple of the noon class and like Desiree, is just a beacon of positive energy. He never met a workout he didn’t love and attack with the goal to bet better at something it contained.

While we all might complain about say, burpees, Andy is busy figuring out how to jump higher off the ground on them.

Andy has been committed since day one and the changes in both his appearance and performance are dramatic. Having shed weight and leaned out physically, Andy has also recently PR’d on his power clean (225#), 2R deadlift (355#) and his mile sprint (5:42).

While those are all impressive, what nets Andy this award is his non stop daily effort and positive commitment to self improvement.

Congrats, Andy!

Get to Know Andy

What’s your bio?

I’m 33 and I’m from Bargersville, Indiana.

What do you do for work?

I am a waiter at Truluck’s and also a singer/songwriter.

(Editors note: He is AWESOME. Like seriously.)

More importantly, what do you do for fun?

Any kind of surfing, singing in the shower, plucking the six string, taking long exposures at night with my camera, playing in my veggie garden, road tripping, baja, reading, going to P360.

What are your favorite and least favorite exercises?

Love me some box jumps, don’t love me some thrusters.

What do you most enjoy about going to P360?

I think the environment is awesome. Everyone is encouraging and focused, two things that are infectious on a daily basis. I like the goals board too, just makes you wanna get better!

What would pre-P360 Andy say to current Andy?

Why didn’t you do this sooner?!

What’s your most proud achievement in the gym?

Running a 5:56 mile on the fourth event of a long day in the Olympics.

What have you learned most since training at P360?

Oh wow, let’s see. I’ve learned a lot about not quitting. I’ve learned that you focus on the reps in front of you, not the next exercise, not the run at the end, not what’s going on this weekend. Just the reps. That has then translated to my life outside the gym too, focus on the task at hand rather than worry about the whole project.

Embarrassing fact most people don’t know about?

Is liking Katy Perry’s music embarrassing enough?

What’s a hidden talent most people don’t now about?

I love to cook.

What’s your favorite cheat meal?

Biscuits and sausage gravy.

Which famous person would you most like to have a drink with and what would you buy them?

I think having a pint with Anthony Bourdain would be quite interesting!